Of Luck, Chance, and Possibilities
by Fleury's Apprentice70
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles mostly featuring Alek/Deryn. Covers most genres.
1. Falling

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.**

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><p><em>She had fallen out of favor.<em>

None of the lads in Glasgow wanted to court her and none of the lassies wanted to invite her over for tea. Her reputation wasn't that favored among those that knew her.

_She had fallen out of grace._

Her mother would never look at her the same way. Not even when her hair grows back or when she was stuffed into a ruffled dress. As far as her mother could tell, she had no daughter to speak of.

_She had fallen out of trees._

She had been fussed over when she would fall from the highest branch she could possibly reach. It hurt, but for a little while, she was closer to the sky.

_She had fallen on her face._

She had ruined countless dresses from the blood that would gush out of her nose and had lost a few baby teeth when she tripped and fell chasing after Jaspert, but that never stopped her before.

Oh yes, Deryn Sharp had fallen a lot in her short life. Living in the air had steeled her nerves to the fact of falling. She didn't mind it, she actually felt like a bird diving in the air when she would fall—briefly. There was always the landing. The landing part she did mind. It barking hurt and that is why no one saw her jumping off of anything and everything.

But as she sat on the spine of the great air beast, her hand that was meant to be sketching Bovril was instead tracing a name over and over. Again and again. And each time she would have to scratch it out lest someone see it.

_Alek. Alek. Alek._

It kept on scrawling and scribbling out.

And she got a sense of falling that she wasn't prepared for. Her steeled nerves turned to raw nerves as butterflies flew in her stomach each time her eyes read through the name.

"Dylan!"

Deryn's head jerked up, pulled out of her reverie and looked in the direction of… Alek. He was beckoning her over with his hand and she faintly heard Bovril's giggles of "_Mr. _Sharp".

She smiled and closed her sketchpad, with _Alek_ still scratched into her mind and got up to see what that daft prince was up to this time.

She was falling. She was sure of it. She wasn't used to this fall—this fall into his opinion. And she wasn't sure where or when she would land. But she wasn't scared to take the running start and jump because she was pretty sure that when she eventually landed, Alek would be there to catch her.

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><p><strong>Written while listening to "Falling" by Florence and the Machine. Hope you like it.<strong>

**This would've gone under my previous story "Of Coincidences" but ahem… a mishap happened. Where I just got frustrated with decisions of majors and minors and colleges (art and writing basically) and went and deleted any story I had on here (whopping total of 15) and tore down my paintings in my room to try to escape it. It didn't work….**

**Oh well. Here I am again anyway. And this time, I won't go delete-crazy.**


	2. Pretty

"No. No way. I'm not wearing this." Deryn shouted, as she looked wide-eyed in the mirror. How did she even get forced into this blue silk monstrosity?

There was a curt cough behind her and Deryn turned around annoyed. "Orders are orders, Mr. Sharp. And I do believe we chose well. If I didn't know better, I'd think that you _are _a girl!"

Deryn's face darkened at the boffin's smug countenance and humored comment. She knew. She knew and planned this. She was just thankful Bovril was not here to comment.

"Aye. A barking girl doesn't have short hair!" She said sharply, trying to cover up how unsettled she was at he discovered secret.

Dr. Barlow raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She said as if this didn't faze her. It looked like she was going to say more but she was cut off.

"God's wound! Is this necessary? I can't even walk in this! I highly doubt—" Alek stopped as he stumbled into the room. And as moody as Deryn was she had to bite her lip not to laugh. The green dress fit awkwardly on the boy.

He threw the skirt of the dress down, frustrated. "Dylan?"

"Don't start, _Princess_." Deryn snapped dangerously.

Alek frowned. "That's not funny. Have you looked at yourself lately _Miss_ Sharp?" He shot back, but a smile lifted the corner of his lips.

Oh, Miss Sharp, indeed.

Before Deryn could come back at him with another insult to make sure he wouldn't notice the truth in his jest, Dr. Barlow cut them off. "Quit acting so childish. Now we're expected to land soon and you two _must_ come off as proper ladies." She gave a sharp glare in both of their directions, especially towards Deryn, and then sighed. "Alek, even for a boy, you look absolutely dreadful in that dress. Come, I'll have to alter it on my own. Dylan, I trust that you can handle yourself for now." With that the boffin strutted out of the room leaving the two friends there awkwardly.

Alek sighed. "How did we end up getting into this?"

"It's called being the youngest, Dummkopf." Deryn said as she turned back towards the mirror frowning at her girlish reflection and praying Alek didn't finally put two and two together.

It was silent for a moment before they heard Dr. Barlow call for Alek impatiently.

"I shouldn't keep the Doctor waiting. At least _you_ look like a pretty girl." Alek said picking up the skirts again and trying to turn back into the room he came from.

Deryn stopped her inspection in the mirror to look at him. "What?"

Alek stopped with a mad blush running across his face. "I—I said at least you look like a pretty girl. I mean, compared to this." He said quickly, embarrassed. "This doesn't leave this room." He muttered quickly before running clumsily into the other room.

Deryn still stared at the spot in the mirror where Alek had been. He said she was _pretty._ Sure, he said it while not exactly _meaning_ it and while to him, she was still a boy, no matter the dress (which was rather awkward when she thought about it). But he said it nonetheless!

Deryn picked up the skirts of her dress and spun around with a girlish laughter and blush.

He said she was _pretty!_

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If Deryn cross-dresses to be in the service, then why can't they both have to wear dresses to go on a mission? How awkward would that be!

Hope you enjoyed and review. (:


	3. Wounding Words

Deryn roamed around Vienna after curiosity bested her. It was so different from Glasgow, but as she wandered through the streets, she learned one thing stayed the same: Gossip.

"That's the next Empress." Someone said without bothering to whisper. Deryn figured they either wanted her to hear, or did not think she could understand their Clanker-talk. "_Look_ at her." A woman not much older than Deryn herself said.

"_That's_ her? No wonder I wouldn't have seen her if you hadn't pointed her out! I heard Aleksander was marrying a commoner, but not _that_ common! I swear, she blends into the dirt!" There was garish laughter at that snide comment.

Deryn's eyes widened at that jab. Is that what these Austrians—these Clankers—thought? She knew she was common, but Alek had noticed her, albeit as a boy at first, but still!

"Darwinist Dirt at that! It's so peculiar that His Highness would even think twice about her! But did you hear how they met?"

Her fingernails dug into her palm. She pretended to stop to look at a street vendor. Hopefully this gossip would be more amusing.

"No! How?"

"During the Great War! On that Godless _Leviathan_! She dressed as a _man_ to be in the service! How ridiculous!"

There was a sharp gasp from the other woman. "And Aleksander does not second guess her—her—purity?"

Deryn knew this shouldn't affect her. When her secret first dropped on the public, many accusations like this arose. She didn't know why this rubbed her wrong as she gritted her teeth.

"Obviously not. I think the boy pities her, really. I heard her family disowned her. Kicked her out just like that! Her father left—too ashamed of her, of course."

Tears pricked her eyes at that. Did these people have no decency? She turned to walk away, trying to hold back the tears from her eyes and trying to make it back to her new home. She wouldn't make a scene. They were just barking dummkopfs who didn't know what they were talking about.

"Just because no one would marry her doesn't mean _he_ had to. He needs to put the country first! We're going to have to respect a Charity Case!"

Deryn's pace quickened as she passed the gossipers. Watery eyes forward and chin held high. She was invincible. She had faced worse than this!

"Do you suppose she's in it for the money?"

"What do _you_ think? After all, you were the one to suggest she's a Charity Case."

"True. It's a shame what this world is coming to. I have to wonder what he was thinking proposing to her! Did he not learn from his father?"

"At least Sophie had _some_ type of title besides—"

Deryn didn't hear the rest of the negative comment for she had passed them and turned the corner. She didn't care if people stopped and stared and wondered and _gossiped_—she began running as if her life depended on it, or running from it.

She wanted to shake those hateful and hurtful comments off of her but they stuck like sulfuric flares—slowly but surely eating her and burning her.

Tears blurred her vision as she hurdled through the people looking for the only one who could put out the flames and keep her walls from crumbling. She didn't know why she let them affect her but—but….

There! There, arguing with the bumrag of a Count!

She ran faster, throwing herself into the unsuspecting arms of Alek von Hohenberg.

"Deryn?" He said wrapping his arms around her. She buried her face into his jacket, releasing the tears silently. Both knew this wasn't proper in public, but their relationship had never been proper.

"Deryn, what are you doing back so soon? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I didn't expect to see you so soon! You couldn't have possibly finished your adventuring already." She could hear the smile in his voice but didn't bother to look at him. She just tightened her grip around his torso. "Deryn? Are you all right? Nothing happened?" Worry. That was worry and fear in his voice.

Deryn pulled back slightly and looked up at him (she could barely believe it herself! "His Princeliness" had grown taller than her in the year since the war ended). "No, nothing happened. Why? Don't tell me you don't think a girl can handle herself!"

If he noticed the tears that streaked her cheeks, he didn't bother to pester her about it. He knew better. She would tell him. She was strong.

He smiled. "No, no. I believe you can handle yourself. I was just worried. I think I love you too much for something to happen to you."

Deryn ignored Volger's snort of disgust and beamed, murmuring the affection back. As Alek led her down the street with Volger following to make sure no "funny business" happened, he had unknowingly healed the wounds created by the women's gossip by saying the only words that mattered to Deryn:

I love you.

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**Ah. Cheesy Fluff? Are you serious? Yes. Very serious. I actually had a fun time writing this.**

**Hopefully you all liked it though. (:**


	4. Lost

"Deryn, what if we get lost?" Alek whined as she pulled him around another bend in the innards of the airship.

She glanced back briefly. "Then they won't be able to find us!" She laughed a bit. "Besides, you're forgetting who you're talking to. I _know_ this beastie like the back of my hand." She raised her other hand for emphasis and then looked at it for a second. "When did I get that cut there?"

Alek was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear that but he did. He tried to pull back; his eyes wide. She had to have, as she would put it, cracked her own attic. "What if something bad happens? What if we can't ever find our way back? What if they never find us? We'll starve! What if we die? Deryn, Volger will _kill_ us!"

Not to mention, that traveling inside of a whale was rather nauseating to Alek. It not only had a pungent smell, but the thought of being inside a fabricated beast was something else. He wanted to get out of it and back _ontop_ of the air beast as soon as possible.

"Aye, brilliant ideas Alek," she said with a roll of her eyes. He was about to object to this. It was anything but brilliant. What he said was horrible! "But I'd love to know how Volger would kill us if we're already supposedly dead."

He tried to pull his wrist out of her grasp. If she was going to be like that, he didn't want to follow her. He went to yell at her to unhand him but she continued.

"In fact, how would he find us? I thought we were lost for good and—"

Alek finally succeeded in twisted his wrist out of her grasp and stopped. "God's wounds! I'm being _serious_. If you're going to treat this like a joke then I'll just go now!"

With a huff, he turned around and stomped childishly back the way they had come. Or at least, what he thought was the way. There were two fleshy tunnels that converged to form the one they had stopped in. They all looked the same.

If he could figure out the back streets of Istanbul, then he could figure his way out of a whale. He hoped.

A hand clasped his shoulder trying to stop him.

"Leave me alone, Deryn. If you're just going to laugh at me, I don't want to be around you."

The hand tightened and spun him around. "No! Stop!" Now she gripped both his shoulders to keep him from running, which he undoubtedly would have done if it weren't for her precautions.

"I'm sorry!" She said and then stole a kiss from him. Alek was surprised by it and flushed. He could hardly think, but he knew he couldn't stay mad at her. At least if he was lost, he'd be lost with her.

She smirked against his lips and then pulled away slightly and nodded her head to the other remarkably similar tunnel.

"But _that_ way is the way out."

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**It's definitely Love-Hate when the original idea turns into a new plot. But I like how this turned out. **


	5. A Bit of Perspective

"They're dead."

Volger had vomited those two simple words on Klopp's doorstep in the middle of the night after choking on them since he read them on the message.

Even after he had admitted it to Klopp, he still refused to believe it himself. It was impossible. They couldn't have been killed. This was the Archduke and his wife after all. Things like this only played out in nightmares.

As Klopp put it though: "This _is_ a nightmare."

They were young. They were innocent. They were happy. They were in love. They were to live until old age. They were survivors of hardship.

They were dead.

Volger had known the Archduke for what seemed like forever. He had been loyal to the Archduke even as the Emperor hated him. Even when hope seemed gone. He followed him dutifully. It seemed like only yesterday they were stubbornly fighting over whether he should marry beneath him or not.

In the end it had happened though. Of course he won, leaving Volger to stand there and watch it happen.

Volger would never admit it, but she was the best thing to ever happen to the Archduke. And now he could never admit it, though it was one of the things he wanted to desperately tell them. She would have loved to hear that much to Volger's chagrin.

It was practically yesterday that Volger had argued with the two about their trip. So much was at sake; they couldn't just go throw it all away for a trip. They wanted to go though. They _had_ to go they claimed. There was really no stopping them. They were adamant about going. "It's not as bad there now. The fightings settled." Stubborn. Naive. Naturally.

Volger thought they were fools. The anarchist took the fools.

In the end it happened though. Of course they won, leaving Volger to stand there and watch it happen.

They had unknowingly left him to watch the world prepare for a great war all because of them and their spilt blood-for the world to follow their lead and die with a _bang_.

He knew they wouldn't have wanted that.

Poison and Gunshot.

It amazed him that two stories could play out in such similar manners and yet—

"I won't let history repeat itself any further, Alek. Deryn."

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**So I'm interested to know if the perspective worked and if the fact that Alek and Deryn were the ones that died in the end was an effective spin or hidden at all during the rest of it. I have it typed up how they died. But I could really believe that it would be a deja vu type moment if Alek and Deryn would die tragically.**

**I'm starting to notice a tend of updating on Fridays…**


	6. End of the World As We Know It

"Alek, will you just _sit down_." Deryn hissed, not bothering to look up from her drawing. The boy had been pacing for the past hour or so and it was driving her up the wall. She couldn't even look at him without getting dizzy.

"No, I will not just sit down! How can I just sit down when the world is to end?"

Deryn paused glanced up over her sketchpad at his exasperated tone. To her amusement, he had thrown his hands up in the air and he looked like an absolute mess. Nothing like his usual state of proper order. She didn't voice it, but she also wondered as to what the difference made, whether Alek was sitting or pacing, if the world ended. Either way, he would be dead.

As he turned on his heels to pace, yet again back to where he came from, she rolled her eyes. She mused over the thought of him creating a hole in the floor from all of this pacing. Yes, then _his_ life would be over, but certainly not _hers_. His would end with a rather big splash; they were over an ocean at the current moment.

"Aye, and how is it to end again?" She said, more to annoy him than in interest and already started to draw again.

"By illness, war, fire, _death_!"

"Marvelous." Deryn muttered absentmindedly, not fully listening to his words.

"Marvelous? _Marvelous?_ How is that _marvelous_, Dylan! We'll all be dead! The world will end as we know it!" From the corner of her eyes she noted that Alek had stopped pacing and now just stared at her incredulously. She accomplished one thing at least.

"Okay. Okay. I guess that isn't marvelous. Now, I just have one question. What does it matter if the world will end as _we_ know it? I mean, we'll be dead. Dead people don't _know_ stuff. They're, well, dead." She grinned at her annoying logic. It was all too easy to ruffle the sheltered Prince's feathers.

That is why she wasn't too surprised as he gave another exasperated groan. "Dylan, quit trying to be funny. Try to take this seriously! You of all people need to, being a Darwinist!"

"What does being a Darwinist have to do with this?"

"What you people do is still ungodly, creating all of these beasts. At least I know that I will be saved." He began to pace again, glancing out at the window.

She rolled her eyes again. This wasn't the first time Alek brought up the Darwinist card. At first she had taken offense, but now she used the subject as amusement. These arguments had been an almost daily occurrence and never got old on her.

The boy really was wound up too tightly. She liked to blame Volger for this, like in most situations.

He had been getting antsy since he heard the news of the so-called Apocalypse in the streets of Istanbul. She had just brushed off the news with a good laugh but Alek had taken it to heart. He had only gotten worse as the date came closer.

Now they sat—rather, she sat—in Alek's stateroom waiting together for the end of the world. More like, Alek was waiting for the end of the world and she pitied his cracked attic and decided to stay with the boy so he didn't do anything stupid like jumping off The _Leviathan_.

She glanced at the clock. It was almost time.

"And why will you be saved?"

She knew the answer. It was his answer for everything he did. She even mouthed the word and made a face as Alek announced it: "Providence."

She looked up briefly as she got a wry thought. "What if your Providence mistakes you for a Darwinist? You are on a beastie after all and you said yourself you're in barking _love_ with it." Oh yes, she remembered that statement. She was still rather sour over his exclamation of being in love with the beastie and not _her_.

"Plus, you've got Bovril around you almost twenty-four/seven." She nodded towards the sleeping loris. Oh, the _perspicacious_ loris knew well enough nothing would happen. Why couldn't it tell Alek that? It always wanted to tell Alek _other_ less preferable information such as her gender. Of course it wouldn't help her now.

She did envy the beastie though. Deryn wished she could be sleeping at the moment, but Alek wouldn't let her. He would, without a doubt, owe her for the loss of her precious sleep.

No matter the sleep, Deryn's smile soon fell as she noticed how much of a wreck Alek had become even as he tried to send her a glare. He had teary eyes and every so quiet and hidden sobs. (She tried to ignore those. Alek didn't need _all_ of his dignity stripped away tonight.)

Glancing at the clock, there was a couple minutes or so left until Alek would see that all of this worrying was for nothing (even though the lady boffin already tried to talk him out of his worries plenty of times before with her clever science).

Deryn's girly emotions took hold then as she pitied the boy. She felt bad for torturing him for this long, which is why she finally set aside her sketchpad and pencil and looked at her Austrian friend. "Alek," She started off softly, too softly for a man, but Alek was too worried to notice. "Why would you possibly believe the world is to end now of all times?"

Alek stopped pacing, but put his efforts into wringing his hands constantly now, and stared at her with worry and fear. "They say that the world's population will destroy itself. There will be famine, sickness, and—and war. Dylan, we're in the middle of The Great War. People are dying every day and—"

"And you're going to stop it." Deryn interjected.

Alek looked at her surprised. "But!"

"That's what your Providence has in store for you Alek. Just come off this end of the world nonsense. Providence isn't going to end the world because Providence has _you_ to help stop this war. Everything will be _fine_. Trust me."

Deryn noticed the time. One minute left.

She picked up her paper and pencil again and got comfortable.

Alek stared at her and smiled slightly, eyes still watery. "Um… thanks, Dylan. Maybe you don't have to worry about being saved. And… I want you to know, that I'm happy to spend my last moments with you."

For what seemed like the umpteenth time, Deryn rolled her eyes just because Alek was a dummkopf. She had to admit though, past her perceived annoyance, her heart swelled up at that comment.

Trying to control her contradicting feelings, she turned her attention to the window and flipped to a new page of her sketchpad. Her hand poised with the pencil on the paper, waiting.

"What are you doing, Dylan?" Alek said looking perplexed. It seemed as though all thoughts of the end of the world was currently forgotten for him, so Deryn felt a wee bit bad for her next statement, especially after their intimate moment, but in all honesty, she couldn't wait to laugh at his reaction. She smiled wryly:

"Getting ready to draw the Apocalypse, of course."

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**Note: I'm sorry if this seems at all angsty. I was actually trying to create a humorous situation for them, since most people seem to joke about Apocalypse situations anyway. But of course I had to add a tender moment and Alek does get over-dramatic.**

**We all know that if the Leviathan characters were real, and were alive for today, Alek would definitely be freaking out and Deryn would be laughing at the whole situation. So I went and did some Internet snooping to make this more believable.**

**Number 8 on the Top 10 Failed Apocalyptic Predictions was the 1914 Apocalypse. Perfect, right? A Jehovah Witness group predicted it and they said because of epidemics like The Spanish Influenza and WWI, the world was going to end by the Devil. **

**I left the ending off like that with Deryn playing along with Alek because as we can all tell right now, the Apocalypse did not happen then.**

**And yes, I totally listened to R.E.M.'s "End of the World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine).**


	7. The Trouble with Bees

"I blame you for this, you know." Deryn muttered, flinging herself onto Alek's bed and placing an arm over her eyes after delivering him his meal.

"Blaming me for _what_ exactly?"

Deryn removed her arm and propped her head up a bit to view her friend looking down at her with curiosity. "For making me have to do Newkirk's job too now! If you wouldn't have made up that barking story of _killing_ bees, then Newkirk could be helping me since that mad lady-boffin asked for honey samples!"

He broke apart the standardized stale biscuit with his fingers and dropped them onto his tray. "I didn't make that story up though. There are killing bees that poison you and you have nightmares and most of the time, you will die. It only takes a couple stings to die immediately! I remember learning about those killing bees from my tutors."

"Aye, and I don't remember ever hearing about any fabs like that. I do believe I'm the Darwinist in this relationship." Deryn quickly pulled her arm back down over her face to cover up the bright blush that lit up across her cheeks. She could feel the fire underneath her skin as she realized what she said.

Peeking out from under a crack between her arm and face, she studied Alek's even more confused look. "Relati—nevermind." He turned back to his food for a minute and chewed for some time before glancing back again. "Oh, by the way did _you_ have a tutor to teach you that?" Deryn sat up straight in objection. That had nothing to do with this. She didn't need a tutor! She—"Exactly." Alek said with a smirk after the long silence between them.

"Alright then, Clever-boots, you're coming to help me. The lady-boffin wants those samples before we land in Mexico, which is just a wee bit of time from now." She jumped to her feet in a one fluid motion and slapped her hand onto the Prince's shoulder. "Come on, I know you don't want to eat that clart. We'll be getting better food once we land as well."

He looked up at her now in disbelief. "I'm not a midshipman, Dylan. I'm not helping you. That's what Newkirk is for."

"Aye! And you spooked Newkirk! You know he spooks easier than a Huxley in a lightning storm when it comes down to fabs! So you're my new Newkirk!"

Deryn smiled as a look of mixed disgust and horror swept across his face. "I don't want to be Newkirk! Can't you convince Newkirk that I was wrong?"

Deryn paused and looked up towards the ceiling, away from the pleading green eyes. It wasn't that bad of an idea. If she could convince Newkirk that Alek was just the daft Clanker he is, the all should be right again. "Alright. Come on, you're going to help me, Your Highness."

"But—"

"_Come_." With that, Deryn tugged on Alek's collar and half dragged him out of the States Room.

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"Mr. Sharp, w-where are we?"

"Yes, please Dylan. Do say."

Deryn stopped and turned around and absentmindedly put her hands on her hips in annoyance. Alek had been guiding Newkirk, for the second middy had a makeshift blindfold on, but had stopped as well as to not run into her. He looked even more annoyed than she was as Newkirk bumped into him for at least the tenth time.

"Blindfold off."

Newkirk slipped it off and shuddered. "Why are we in here? Mr. Sharp, why are we in with the bees!" His voice got shrill towards the end, almost sounding more like a girl than Deryn herself.

She smiled wrly and threw her arms out in a wide gesture around them where bees buzzed around honeycombs. "Because we got assigned a job, and you _are_ going to help because I'm going to help get rid of your bee fears. Alek has something to confess."

"I wasn't lying. It was in my lessons." Alek muttered crossing his arms in a spoiled fashion.

Newkirk's eyes widened and his hands fluttered as he began to grow even more nervous. Barking Monkey Luddites.

"What that daft Prince _means_ is that there is no such thing as barking killing bees! He made it all up! Besides, these bees don't even have stingers!" Deryn said harshly glaring at both boys, daring them to protest.

She could almost feel the relief as it filled Newkirk. "Really? Bec—"

"Aye, really!" She nearly screamed, exasperated. "Blisters! Who are you going to believe? _Me _or a sodding _Clanker_. I'm pretty sure Clankers don't even know what animals _are_."

She thought she heard Alek mutter something about having horses, but if he did say something, he didn't bother to address it any louder.

"A-alek?" Newkirk asked turning to look at the quiet Austrian who Deryn noted was currently cringing, as a bee got too close for his comfort. It landed on the breast of his pilot's jacket and Newkirk had taken notice to it. Deryn prayed that Alek wouldn't overreact to it. If he did, then all of her efforts to fix Newkirk would be over.

Making Deryn proud, Alek attempted a smile that turned into a grimace and hesitantly looked at Newkirk. "I'm sorry Newkirk. I must've gotten my information wrong. Dylan is right, though. There are no killing bees… on the _Leviathan_."

Luckily, Newkirk didn't know Alek as well as Deryn, or surely he would've seen through the stressed words and smile. When Newkirk turned back to Deryn with a hesitant smile, Alek quickly brushed off the bee and held a hand up to his mouth as if not to puke. The bee then proceeded to buzz over to Deryn and land on her shoulder. She wasn't going to fuss over it though.

"Alright. What needs done Mr. Sharp?"

Deryn grinned and was about to respond when someone else answered.

"Actually, Mr. Newkirk, I believe Mr. Sharp and Alek will be fine on their own."

Deryn cursed under her breath and closed her eyes. Dr. Barlow was behind her.

"Mr. Sharp! It's very nice to see that you've finally made it to the hives. Though I do believe I asked for the samples hours ago. They were utmost important in deciding upon our new cargo. Luckily I had some idea of what was expected from these bees. Speaking of which, Mr. Newkirk, they will need help with that. Do be careful. We don't need anyone getting hurt."

Newkirk nodded and ran off, probably relieved to escape from his bee nightmare.

Deryn turned around nervously. Dr. Barlow looked at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, Dr. Barlow. I needed help and Newkirk refused to come up so Alek and I had to convince him and—wait. What's this new cargo you're talking about?" The Captain had never mentioned anything about this. Or was this just another one of the secrets the boffin kept pulling out of her sleeves?

"Ah. Well, a colleague of mine has bred an army of bees to be used in the war efforts. I had to check if enough honey was being produced so they could thrive." She smiled demurely and her eyes flickered to the bee resting on Deryn's shoulder. "I wouldn't normally tell you about it, but I would watch what fabrications you allow on you for now on Mr. Sharp. We don't want any injuries to occur, especially to a fine midshipman such as yourself."

This sent up the red flags in Deryn's mind and she took a glance at the just as puzzled Alek.

"Injuries?" The other boy said innocuously. The boffin nodded curtly, with that small smile still on her lips mocking them. "How would we receive these injuries? What's in the cargo exactly?"

Dr. Barlow put up her gloved hand and let a bee land on her pointer finger. "Oh, just some Tracker Jackers." Her smile grew slightly as she glanced at the two. "They're bees designed to track down their victims and kill them. Easily agitated and quite nasty when they're disturbed. It only takes a couple untreated stings for the effects to become quite perilous."

Deryn's eyes widened and out of the corner of her eyes, she caught Alek smirking as he said, "So, what you're saying is, we're getting _killing_ bees on this ship?"

The boffin looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess you may call them that. They do indeed kill."

Deryn looked down at the bee crawling on her, and in a brief moment of panic, swiped it off while the boffin was busy looking at Alek.

"Dr. Barlow, is _that_ what you sent Mr. Newkirk to help with?"

She nodded.

Barking spiders. That poor boy was going to be scarred for life. She turned to Alek to express her concerns only to catch his haughty expression and she frowned at Alek's next statement:

"I told you so."

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**Yes, I totally used a Hunger Games reference in this after not really feeling up to the challenge of naming my own fab. I figured I had to introduce Newkirk into my oneshots at one point or another.**

**On another thought, while reading Leviathan, I began thinking. What if Newkirk wasn't the other middy that stayed with Deryn, but instead, the middy that Deryn hated? Would anyone be interested in a plot-lined fic of what would happen if that had happened? Deryn's secret would be more on the line, more edginess, secrets, fights, risks, etc? **

**And finally, today was my last day of school. Maybe, just maybe, that means updates will be coming faster.**


	8. Proposal to Happy Memories

"I don't know how you got me onto this barking thing, but I'm kind of happy you did." Deryn said with a laugh. She looked down towards the ground below with a smile and then looked back with an even bigger grin.

Alek laughed as well and ran a hand through his tidy hair. Deryn could tell he was nervous. About what though, she didn't know. He had, for the most part, gotten over his fear of flying, and it was only a hot air balloon. If anything, she should be the nervous one.

"Well that's a relief. I was worried for some time that you would push me out of the basket as soon as we were high enough for breaking my promise to you." He smiled and ruffled her still short hair—a bob cut is what the daft Americans called it.

When she started to teach him the ropes of flying, he had wanted to skip out on all of the fabricated hydrogen beasties—especially the Huxley—and just fly balloons. Deryn had naturally flat-out refused, too scared to lose Alek the same way she had lost her da. She had made him promise to never go up in one of those 'death-traps' into which he had agreed to until now.

Deryn tried to scowl but found that she couldn't as she elbowed Alek playfully. She was in too good of a mood with being unleashed in the air again.

The torch flared up, releasing an orange glow on them and effectively causing Deryn to almost jump right out of her trousers. She may be on a balloon, but she was still fidgety as the flames announced their presence to them.

Alek caught her around the waist and laughed. "Or who knows, you may be the one to fall out first."

"Get stuffed." She muttered. She squirmed out of his arms and turned away from him. Folding her arms across the rim of the basket, she looked up into the night sky, falling into a somewhat content silence—albeit pear-shaped for the two of them.

She felt Alek rest his arms against the rim of the basket next to her, except instead of staring up at the stars, concentrated his gaze on her. "I'm sorry, Deryn."

Deryn glanced over at him. There, again with the nervous hand brushing back his hair.

"No, it's okay. It's just odd to be up here again without Da. I've had such great memories up here with him, but they've all been covered by his death." Alek reached over and grabbed one of her hands to hold it gently in his own, still staring intently at her. "You're reminding me how much I loved it up here." She smiled and nudged his shoulder.

"I'm glad then. Because I was planning of making plenty of memories up here with you."

Her mouth opened and closed with no words even forming at her lips. What was she to say to _that_? _I hope so too?_ That sounded so barking daft. Instead, when she finally found words to use, she said "What?" Why that was any less daft than _I hope so too_ would never make sense to her.

"I—I said that—"

Deryn couldn't be sure, but she thought that Alek's face was flushing as he rubbed the back of her neck (she wasn't sure when he let go of her hand. Or was it the other way around?). "Aye, I heard that part."

"Then why question it?" Alek snapped and soon after covered his face with both of his hands. She thought she heard a faint 'sorry' but it was never said any louder. With his face still covered, he groaned. "Deryn, only you would make this more difficult than it already is."

Standing up straight, she squared her shoulders and faced him head-on. "Make _what_ more difficult. Aleksander, you better tell me or you may find yourself landing a bit earlier than expected and the landing will be a rough one." Her eyes were narrowed and her hands were clenched in fists.

"God's wounds." Alek muttered more to himself than to Deryn but she still heard. "I was hoping for better circumstances but…."

He fumbled inside of his pockets for a moment. Even in the dark the blush on his cheeks was prominent now. Deryn watched intensively as he pulled out something that fit into the palm of his hand. She couldn't see what but now she was nervous.

She watched as Alek once again ran his free hand through his hair before closing his eyes and dropping down onto one knee.

This is where Deryn stopped thinking. She saw what was happening, but her brain wouldn't react. She was stunned and the only thing she could think of doing was to bring her hands up to cover her gaping mouth. He couldn't be…

"Deryn Sharp I don't know why I've waited so long because I've known that I've wanted to be with only you. I'll give up a country for you. I'll give up anything and everything just so you could be my wife… if only you say yes. Will you marry me?"

Oh, but he _was_.

Deryn tried to say the only word that mattered now—"yes". Her lips moved behind her hands, but no sound came out. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes and began to trickle down her cheeks.

Alek diverted his eyes to the floor of the basket and bit his lower lip. "Deryn?" No answer. "Deryn, look. I'm sorry if you don't want to. Oh this is so… how do you say it? Pear-shaped now. I shouldn't have done it like this now we're stuck and I'm so—"

"Daft." Of course that would be the word that would come out of her.

Alek stopped and looked up at her, offended and hurt. "Pardon?"

"Daft. You're so daft, Alek. Of course, I'll marry you, Dummkopf. I just thought you were too daft to ask."

Deryn smiled, feeling more like a girl in that moment than all of the countless times she had to wear a dress. As he slipped the simple ring onto her finger she couldn't be happier.

When she was younger, she always thought that a ring around her finger would weigh her down. But now as she clung to Alek and kissed him as if it was their first kiss and they whispered "I love you" senselessly, she never felt so weightless before.

The torch flared again, but Deryn didn't jump because it was time for a new era of memories... starting with this one.

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**Has no one honestly written a proposal between these two on here yet? It just had to be done! I couldn't resist. Of course it would have to be up in the air, and I just like the theme of new beginnings from the old. Hopefully their personalities suited them in this.**

**And I'd just like to say, though I don't always respond to reviews, I read and appreciate each one. (: Thanks.**


	9. Prince Charming

Deryn looked up into the cloudy night sky as best she could with her forehead pressed up against the cold glass. The warm glow of the candle created a reflection and made it harder to view the outside world but it didn't mean she wouldn't try to.

There was a light tap on the doorframe that for the most part went unnoticed as she craned her neck trying to see past the reflection. "Deryn, shouldn't you be _in_ your bed?" An amused voice drifted from the doorway startling the child.

Deryn turned around with a sheepish grin. She knew she was caught and if she didn't play her cards right, she was going to get in trouble. "But mammy." She whined, letting go of the window's ledge. "I don't _want_ to go to bed."

"Deryn." Her mam warned and looked pointedly at her.

She relented, recognizing that tone and not wanting to risk being scolded before bed. She didn't want her good mood to be ruined. Deryn trudged over to her bed and crawled underneath the comforter. Now that she was in bed, she whined again. "Mammy, I can't go to sleep. I'm not tired!"

"Yes you are, you just don't know it yet." Her mam said pulling the blankets up to cover Deryn and gently pushed her down so her head rested on the pillow. Deryn didn't try to resist knowing she would just get back up when her mam turned her back on her.

"You just need some peace and quiet." She bent down and kissed the child's forehead and smiled lovingly. Deryn looked up skeptically though because she _knew_ that she was nowhere near tired and peace and quiet would do nothing but bore her right now.

"I'm too excited to sleep!" Deryn protested with an exaggerated pout that stuck her bottom lip out but the façade slipped as Deryn bit her lip to suppress a grin. She was too excited to sleep. She had too much energy balled up in her that she felt like she could take on the world. Not to mention, her stomach clenched with anticipation.

Her mam humored her. "Oh? How come?"

Deryn beamed and threw the covers off of her as she sat up. The words bubbled over her lips as her face lit up brighter than the candle on her bedside table. "Da said that if it's nice out tomorrow that he would take me flying!" She was too naïve back then to realize that was the last thing her mam wanted to hear.

The disappointment was there though, but young Deryn had not noticed it, instead she just continued to speak of her excitement ending with a sudden burst of joy. "I can't wait Mammy!"

"How about I tell you a story then to make you sleepy?" Her mam smiled down at her, trying to take her daughter's thoughts off of the outrageous idea of _flying_. She sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her fingers through Deryn's hair. Deryn, needless to say, was not a fan of that and squirmed under the covers.

Deryn thought over the suggestion for a moment. After a long moment of silence Deryn smiled. "I'd love a story! Just one thing…" Deryn trailed off and looked innocently at her mam who looked back expectantly, waiting for her terms of agreement. "No stories with princes and princesses." She stuck her tongue out to show her disgust and shook her head. "Ew." She said for effects.

"Why no princesses and princes?"

Deryn smiled as if it should be known already as to why no princesses and princes. It was obvious to her after all and she was pretty sure her da knew. How could her mam not? "Because!" She chirped. "I don't like them. Jaspert says they're for _babies_."

Her mam laughed causing confusion for Deryn. She looked at her on eye level curiously. "Don't listen to Jaspert, Honey. He doesn't know what he's talking about. You won't be a baby for listening to _stories_. Besides, he's not here to make fun of you, is he?"

Deryn looked around the room before shaking her head. "It's not just Jaspert, Mammy. I just don't like those types of stories. I like Da's stories about adventure!" She gushed. "I want to go on adventures! I don't want _princes_."

She didn't notice the second time that night that her mam looked disappointed. "Don't you want to grow up and marry a prince?"

"No!" Deryn said looking innocent as she shook her head back and forth. Her hair was getting into her face. "Never, Mammy! I don't want any princes!"

Deryn could see how this surprised her mam. Deryn knew that other girls her age wanted to marry princes, but she never had an interest to. She knew no matter how much she tried to tell her mam, she would just never understand.

"Why not, Deryn? I'm sure there is a prince out there waiting for you." She smiled sweetly only to be greeted by Deryn sticking out her tongue once again.

"I don't like princes. They're not that great. They don't let the princess do anything and always save her. Why can't she save herself?" Deryn twisted the covers in her tiny hands as she unknowingly asked one of the biggest questions of her life.

Her mam was speechless for a second. "Well, have you ever been stuck in a tower before?" Deryn shook her head, confused once again. "People need help getting out of towers, Honey. That's why princes save the princess."

"I don't like that reason. Why couldn't they just fly out? I'd fly out, Mammy."

Her mam frowned and ran a hand through her hair. (She would be having a long discussion with her husband later over this flying business). "Not everyone has the means to fly. You're lucky." Looking back, those two sentences were as forced as could be.

Deryn grinned, still the innocent little girl. "See? So I won't need a prince. I'm lucky. I'll save myself! Besides, princes are whiny and mean and think they can get whatever they want. Who would want someone like that? Ew."

The girl smiled sheepishly again as her mam stared her down pointedly and blew out the candle. "_Good night…_"

"Deryn?"

Deryn jumped out of her reverie as she twisted away from the window where she fogged up the cold glass and looked behind her. The candlelight lit the room just enough to make out the figure across the room that sat up in the bed—and of course, create those impossible reflections.

"Aye?"

"Are you going to come to bed or not?" He said groggily.

She smiled to herself as she thought back to all those nights ago when she was pulled away from the window and decided to never want a prince. So much for that. "I'll be there soon, Alek."

Her prince was at least decent (though his title held no authority now). He grew out of all of that daft whiny sel—

"Good, because I can't get to sleep with all of that light." With that he fell back down onto his pillow and covered his eyes with his arm.

Her smile slipped into a frown as she tried not to throw the barking candle at him. _He still has his moments. Dummkopf._ Deryn thought to herself shaking her head before glancing out the window one last time just to see herself.

She blew out the candles with a small smile and blindly found her way to the bed and crawled under the comforter. Alek wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. Deryn closed her eyes and yawned, content.

She always said that she didn't want a prince but adventure in which to live freely. Who knew that the two could co-exist at the same time?

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I imagined Deryn to be no more than six at the beginning part of this. Mammy is in fact a real term just like Mummy and Mommy.

That's actually one of my problems with Disney. Even though each movie reflects the decade it came out in, too many have helpless girls. I just saw Tangled the other week for the first time and loved it. While writing this, I actually drew a connection that if Deryn and Alek had to have a Disney equivalent, it would be Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.

And for the life of me, I could not figure out how to end this chapter with any of the usual wit or finality.


	10. Just A Dream With Two Endings

Alek groaned and tried to block out the light that filtered into the room with his hand. He squinted as he lifted himself up on the other elbow. He felt stiff as if he hadn't moved during the entire night. His thoughts were fuzzy and unclear with the weight of sleep still clinging to them.

He glanced around while trying to adjust to the morning light to get bearings of his surroundings. The curtains were pulled back away from his floor to ceiling windows. Grumbling to himself, Alek got up and trudged over and yanked the curtains closed. Who would open them without his request? He stumbled across the floor and slipped back under the covers and laid his head on the pillow. No one had come in to wake him up yet so—

"My room?" Alek cried out, suddenly sitting up causing bursts of color to interfere with his vision momentarily and his muscles to ache. His head felt like the Count had hit him with the butt of a saber again. He rubbed his temples. _I have to stop staying up so late_. Alek thought as he regained his sight and looked around.

"That's—that's impossible. No. This can't be my room." Alek muttered to himself. Even as he said that though Alek knew that there was no way he could deny it. Across the room sat his desk with the scattered figurines from what must have been the night before. The high vaulted ceilings and the spacious area were nothing like what would be on the _Leviathan_.

The_ Leviathan_! Was it all just a dream? It couldn't be! It all felt so real. The trek to the glacier, the crash, Const—no—Istanbul, the Tesla canon and Tesla himself! All of that couldn't have simply been made up. And God's wounds, he would never dream of his parents dead. He couldn't even fathom that. No, he was definitely not creative enough to make all that up.

Alek fell out of the comfortable bed and onto the lush rug. _This_ right here was _real_. And this was no whale. There was no signs of war. But just to make sure the _Leviathan_ was a dream….

Alek clumsily scrambled over to the window and yanked back the curtains. The sky was blue and cloudless so it almost looked like water—but there was no whale. Why would there be an airship in Vienna? That was just daft on his part to even think of that and daft on the Darwinist's if they were there, for they were the enemy of Vienna.

"Daft?" Alek whispered staring at nothing in particular. Where did a word like that find itself into his vocabulary? He pondered before realizing it. "Deryn." He muttered, speaking as if he knew the girl personally. Then again, he did feel as if he knew her and talked to her and shared the dream with her. She seemed too real to be a dream! But just like the other two women in his dream, Dr. Barlow and Lilit, Deryn was just too eccentric of a woman to be true.

And yet, as much as Alek knew he shouldn't, he wished that she were real. In fact, he had this longing now in his gut and he felt as if something was missing.

He was silent as he stared at the figurines on his desk. Something was missing. Old dread filled him now as he thought of what could be missing. His parents. They were dead. That's what that missing feeling was not because….

His parents!

Alek grinned at his realization. If that was a dream, a wonderfully horrible dream (or horribly wonderful, depending on which way Alek viewed it), then that meant that his parents weren't really dead. They would be somewhere around here and he'd see them, just as always and—

"Mother! Father!" Alek shouted as he tried to run to the door. His muscles still protested with tightening pain, but he'd work through it. "Mother! Fath—" He yanked open the door with that silly smile still plastered on his tired face. "Volger?"

"Aleksander. I see you're finally up. We have fencing lessons in ten minutes and—"

"Volger! Is Mother and Father here?"

"Yes, but—"

"Where?" Alek shouted. His heart began to beat with excitement.

"The study, Your Highness. But—"

Alek took off down the hallway as Volger shouted after him. Tears of joy started to prick his eyes as he ran. Soon enough he was at the study's heavy wooden doors but he left his manners behind with Volger. He flung the door open to see his father and mother discussing something.

Tears flooded his face upon seeing them.

"Alek, what ever is the matter?" His mother said in that soft voice that he missed. But he had heard it just yesterday, hadn't he? Only in his dream had she been dead.

"I had an awful nightmare. You—you and father were dead! And they wanted _me_ dead. And there was a war. And I was stuck on those Darwinists' godless _Leviathan_. And there was a battle in Istanbul and Japan and—and" Alek was running out of breath and trailed off. His smile grew though as he saw his parents exchange looks.

His father laughed lightly, got up, and walked over to Alek to ruffle his hair. "Sounds like some nightmare, Aleksander."

"Sounds like to me that someone was up late playing with his toys." His mother chided behind his father.

Alek blushed at being found out but then he remembered the other part of his dream and felt like even in this joyous moment with his parents that something was missing…. Deryn. That scandalous Scottish girl. He had become so close to her in his dream that she had felt so real to him. He didn't realize that he began speaking aloud until he heard himself say, "There was a girl."

"Oh?" His mother said with a smile before Volger interrupted the whole exchange and successfully dragged him back to his room, ordering him to change for fencing.

Alek did as he was told because he was only rebellious in his dreams but before he left his room, he stopped at his desk and looked at his figurines. He reached down and ignored the Clanker side of the battlefield but instead picked up a lone Darwinist toy. He had never really cared for the name of the actual ship before. But now he knew. And he cared. The _Leviathan_.

Still holding it, Alek walked over to the window where the sky was a familiar blue of a girl's eyes and he smiled. Maybe she didn't have to be a dream.

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So let's get this straight. Two updates in one week. The longest chapter in this story so far. And it's a two for one? Yes, the impossible has happened. So. This story actually has two different endings. I put up the happier ending with a lot more hope but as my brother put it "It's like the FU ending... because everything is a dream". Which kinda sucks because this overlaps with another idea of mine. But I need happier stuff up here. If you want t read something more depressing, here is the other version, if not then skip it.

**Alternate Ending:**

"Mother! Father!" Alek shouted as he tried to run to the door. His muscles still protested with tightening pain, but he'd work through it. "Mother! Fath—" He yanked open the door with that silly smile still plastered on his tired face. "Volger?"

Volger stood at the door with an arm outstretched as if he was about to open it himself. His eyes widened and his lips parted but that was all the emotion that played on his face. "Aleksander?" They were both silent for a moment's time. "Aleksander, what are you doing out of bed? _How_ are you out of bed?"

"What are you talking about? Why didn't anyone wake me up is more like it."

"Your Highness, get back to bed."

"No! I—I had this horribly odd dream. You were in it, in fact. We were with a bunch of Darwinists and Mother and Father. They were dead! And I was wanted dead! It was the Germans but that's unheard of! The Germans are our allies! And my parents will…" He trailed off as he stared at Volger.

For the first time Alek saw, or at least in reality, Volger looked at him with regret and sadness. His face looked ragged and his eyes were tired. "Alek…"

"Where are my parents? They aren't on a trip, are they?"

"Alek, please go back to bed…"

"Where. _Are_. They?" Alek stressed each syllable as his heart jumped into his throat. His breaths were growing shorter.

"Alek, they won't be coming back."

That stupid smile just wouldn't leave his face. He didn't want to believe it. "What?"

"That wasn't a dream. You—"

"NO!" Alek screamed. He felt nauseous. "No. You're—you're lying." With that Alek took off down the hall, with the power of his exit lessoned by the fact that he was somewhat limping. He could hear Volger crying out his name behind him but he didn't slow down or stop. Tears clouded his vision as he ran to his parents' room.

Flinging the door open, Alek's stomach lurched. It was empty. And it looked like no one had touched it for months. Dust flew about and made him painfully cough.

"No." He whispered weakly and hollowly. "No." He shook his head. They… they were in his father's study. That was it. The maid. She was behind on her cleaning for whatever reason. (That had to be why his room was rather messy as well.)

He took off down more halls and more doors until it all blurred together. All he remembered was flinging the heavy door open to the study only to meet more dust. More of nothing. And more loneliness.

Falling onto his knees he wept. "It was a dream." He muttered. "It was a dream. I know it was all a dream. It was a dream."

It seemed like forever, but then again, Alek realized his sense of time was skewed at the moment, before he felt someone behind him.

"Mother?" He said between tears. So much hope in his voice that was matched by ten times the amount of despair when he turned around and saw it wasn't his mother nor his father.

Deryn shook her head. The pity and the tears in her eyes made Alek feel even sicker to the stomach. "No. I'm sorry, Alek. I'm so sorry." She said and her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry."

"But it was a dream. It was a dream, wasn't it?" He knew it wasn't a dream anymore though. If it was a dream, then it would be his parents where this girl stood.

She shook her head again as she sat down and faced him. "No, it's not a dream." Tears streaked her face and she quickly swiped them away. For some reason Alek thought she was crying for another reason.

They were silent besides sniffles and silent sobs. Alek watched as Deryn looked around the study from where she sat. She didn't say the usual, what people usually said when someone was dead. The: "Do you miss them?". Alek remembered from his dre—past conversations with her that she knew how it felt.

Instead, she was more blunt about it. "I'm surprised it took you this long." She looked at him and he was pretty sure his eyes were red and puffy. "You cried in the egg room, but it wasn't enough. I cried for days and yet you cried for a couple minutes. I told Volger this was a barking mad idea." She brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she watched Alek.

Alek looked at her and rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

"With you?" He nodded. She sighed. "We went to end the barking war with negotiations and all of that political blether. It was decided that Vienna was the only place fitting for such things seeing as though it started with your parents." She stared holes into the floor. "It worked." She smiled and glanced up at Alek. "The good news is the war is done. Bad news is some mad German tried to shoot you."

Alek's eyes widened slightly as he went to inspect himself but Deryn grabbed his shoulder.

"You didn't get shot, Dummkopf. I pushed you out of the way. Got a jag on the shoulder though." She slipped the collar of her shirt over her shoulder to reveal a bloody bandaged wound. "Good thing we have Dr. Barlow." She commented before carefully pulling her collar back up and then looked at Alek solemnly. "When I shoved you, you fell and hit your head on the ground. Knocked you out like that. I told them you had to have rattled your attic. You were out for a whole day. Volger said it was best for you to stay here. Something about not trusting common hotel service."

Alek stared straight ahead while absorbing everything. What he thought was a dream had been real and what he thought was real was a dream he never had. The war was over and his parents were still dead.

He felt miserable and tired all over again. His heart, tired of choking him in his throat, settled back into his chest but went back with an empty hole in it where the hope had been.

He looked around his father's study where the dust gathered heavily so that one would not dare to breathe in fear of disturbing the preserved past. The family books and the political books alike sat on the shelves lining the wall. The desk was empty just like the room was.

But for some reason, Alek realized that he didn't feel as lonely anymore. He wasn't as empy as this room.

"Alek? I think you _do_ need to get back to bed. Dr. Barlow will have my head if you don't get better."

Responding to his name, Alek turned to face Deryn. Her blue eyes were still watery and almost as red as his felt and they looked on at him with worry, her hand out as if to touch him. He didn't have his parents anymore, but he still had Deryn, the girl who sacrificed so much more than her life over and over for him.

His muscles once again sore he got up and brushed the dust off himself, then he offered her a hand. "Come on." He murmured. Gently he helped her up as to not to jar her injury. "Might as well listen to the boffin." He said to himself.

"Where are you going?" Deryn demanded softly while holding onto his wrist.

"_We_ are going anywhere but here."

He closed the door.


	11. Living Arrangements

"You're being barking ridiculous, Alek!" Deryn shouted. She removed her hands from her hips and threw them up in the air. She was irritated and did not want to continue this conversation anymore. Usually he backed off when she got angry.

"_I_ am the ridiculous one? You're the one who wanted to decide where we would live _by seeing who can hold their breath the longest_." He enunciated each word very clearly as if speaking to a fool.

It was true though. She had. It seemed reasonable at the time. She still had to stick up for her idea. "You think that's daft because you know I would win!" She knew it sounded childish, but it was the best retort she could come up with in her anger. He shot her a look of disbelief, which caused her to blush.

"You wouldn't wi—" Alek choked on his words as Deryn sent him a scathing look. "That's not the point! The point _is_ we can't base this decision on childish games!"

"Then how will we decide? Don't think I'll just happily follow your wishes, your princeliness."

Alek rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I _know_ that. We need to talk it over like the mature adults we are." What a load of clart. They were barely twenty.

Deryn paused and brought her arms up to cross over her chest. "Aye, we _tried _that. And all we established was that you want to stay in clart-filled Austria." Her voice leveled out.

"Clart-filled?"

"Aye! Clart-filled! Have you _been_ outside? It's awful! I don't see how you Clankers put up with all this mechanical muck."

"Clart-filled." Alek said again as if testing the words. Deryn proudly nodded, thinking she stumped him and snubbed out his suggestion for Austria. He turned and looked at her as he deadpanned: "Deryn, England is 'clart-filled'. _Literally_."

Deryn's face produced another shade of red. "You hardly notice after a while. Besides, it gets redd up(1)!" She fidgeted underneath his gaze, feeling her argument being drained of any usefulness. If she didn't think quickly, then she would be stuck in Vienna, living like a Clanker for the rest of her life. Then it hit her.

"They've already turned on you and your family once! What's saying it won't happen again?" Deryn smirked as she looked at Alek.

"That was the Germans. Besides, I highly doubt that that would happen again. They already lost one war."

Deryn was scrambling for something. As much as she loved Alek and didn't mind that he was a Clanker—piloting the walkers weren't that bad, either—she would not want to live in Vienna or any city like it. She wanted to be back in her beastie-loving surroundings. But she had nothing to argue on her behalf.

"Why not England? Or even Glasgow? Somewhere in Britain?" She said, defeated. She plopped down on the stuffed chair and rested her chin in her hand and studied him.

He sighed and sat down across from her. "Because, I grew up here. Plus I was a prisoner of war because of Britain. I don't believe your King would want a Hapsburg living that close-by."

"Yeah, well, you aren't a prisoner now. Besides, you have no connections political ties to Austria anymore!" She groaned and buried her face into her hands. This was awful. They hardly ever fought. She didn't want to fight. "How are we going to go about this then? We can't even discuss the matter."

"I don't know." Deryn peeked out from between her fingers at Alek as he leaned back in the chair and stared up lazily at the ceiling. He looked just as defeated as she. If she hadn't been paying so much attention on him she would've missed his next words. "I'm sorry."

She buried her face again and mumbled into her hands, "For what?"

"This. I don't know what we'll do. I just want to stop arguing."

"Aye, me too."

It was silent for some time before Deryn felt the previously sleeping Bovril jump onto her lap. She scratched behind its ear to give her something to do and focus on. She was about to comment on how peculiar it was that the loris had not only been quiet through the commotion, but also been asleep, when it spoke up.

"England."

Deryn almost jumped, as she looked wide-eyed at the beastie. "What?" She looked up across to Alek who sat on the edge of his seat, staring intently upon the loris.

"England!" It repeated.

"It didn't say what I think it said, did it?" Alek said, standing slightly.

Deryn beamed as it sunk into her. "I do believe the _perspicacious_ loris says we are going to live in _England_." She stood up with Bovril in her arms. "I knew you'd be helpful one of these days!" She cried out, hugging the fab.

"No. There has to be another way. I take back what I said before! Whoever holds their breath the longest!" Alek was the one scrambling now for a way to keep his choice.

Deryn shook her head and giggled. "Uh, uh, uh! Never argue with what the perspicacious loris says!"

Alek stormed past her to go into the other room causing more spouts of laughter.

"Oh come on, Alek! Quit being such a daft ninny over this! You'll grow to _love_ England with all of the fabs! It's quite funny to watch the Monkey Luddites' reactions to them!" Deryn shouted joyously as she sat Bovril down on the chair and ran after him to celebrate her victory.

Bovril curled up again to try to sleep since the two were gone. The last words fading in from the kitchen being:

"Quit holding your breath, Dummkopf!"

.

.

.

Don't really think this is my best with this. It was just an idea I had while reading a chapter in my Lit book about how "Geography Matters" in literature and decided to do something humorous with it especially since I wanted to meet my self-imposed update deadline. And both of their backgrounds are deeply apart of who they are that I don't think they'd give in easily to living away from it. And let's face it, with impending WWII, where they live matters.

(1) Redd up means to clean up. While reading through I noticed I put that and I usually censor my colloquial vernacular (a.k.a. slang) out but most of it is from Scots-Irish origin so it fits in kind of and I kept it.

Best part? I already have the next chapter typed out as well! I'm on a roll people after receiving all of those wonderful reviews! Keep it up! Thank you all!


	12. Too Young

"_And I could see it clear: To fall was not my fear. To make one fall was."_

_-The Deserter's Song by Radical Face_

The clouds were heavy; preparing the tears that would fall after the battle was over. Alek saw no possibility of the bloodshed ending relatively quickly. Though he wish it would as his body ached from squatting in the trenches. His finger was stiff for it never left the trigger of his gun incase he needed to use it, but he doubted he could ever pull it. And he couldn't forget the fact that with every whistle of a bomb and every bang from a gun, which was quite often, he would begin to tremble.

Dylan didn't seem to forget that either as his friend nudged him after another banshee call was heard. "Aye, quit it." Dylan whispered hoarsely as he sat with his back against the trench's wall next to Alek.

Alek didn't answer. Instead he just looked over at his friend to see that his calm demeanor was lost. His eyes were closed, his held tilted back as if waiting for the tears of the angels, and he looked sickly pale. His usually steady hands, trained by the delicate art of drawing, were trembling so much that Alek was surprised he could even hold his gun.

They were too young for this. They weren't ready for this. They shouldn't be in all of this.

Yet, they were in the trenches of war, albeit safe for now, but not for long. No one was ever safe for long during war.

"Alek?"

Alek looked over at Dylan whose eyes were wide. "What?"

"I—something seems wrong. I don't hear any more gunshots."

This made them both fall into a lapse of silence as Alek realized that he was right. There wasn't as much gunfire as there had been moments before. But they couldn't have possibly won yet. There would have been cheers. He went to tell this to Dylan but saw the middy getting up and peering out of the trench.

"God's wounds! What do you think you're doing?"

But he didn't get the answer he was looking for. "Alek." Trepidation filled his voice and fear widened the boy's eyes as he looked down at him. "Look."

Alek got up, his muscles groaning from sitting the same position for so long and peeked over to find the Darwinists retreating back to the trenches. Instead of the Clankers following them out gunning them down, what looked like eerie green fog rolled across the landscape, coming directly at them.

"Gas." Alek whispered in awe.

"And something tells me it's not tear gas." Dylan said with worry and then turned and latched onto Alek's arm, tugging him.

"What are you doing?" Alek cried out trying to pry the hands off of him.

"Saving our bums!" Dylan cried out trying to pull him out of the trench. "That gas—whatever that horrible gas _is_—will fill up the trenches. We have to get to higher ground!"

Alek looked back to the sounds of hacking and coughing that now filled the air along with the ever-closer green cloud. "Trust me!" Dylan cried out. And Alek did. He hoisted himself up and grabbed his gun and began to run off away from the gas and to where Dylan swore there was a hill of sorts.

Dylan ran slightly ahead of him empty handed. He had left his weapon back in the trench, having had dropped it when he grabbed Alek.

"Your gun, Dylan! We have to go back and—"

"No, Dummkopf! Keep moving! I can find another on the way!"

The morbidity of that settled over Alek. Of course they could find guns and ammunition and bodies in every which way. It was a free for all. It was war.

He wasn't sure how long they had been running (but they seemed to have left the creeping gas behind) before Dylan had stopped and put his hand up to his lips before holding on out towards Alek.

"Gun, please." He whispered through clenched teeth. Before Alek could protest, Dylan pointed over to a cluster of trees. A German sat there with his legs drawn up to his chest.

"Do you honestly think you can shoot him?" Alek cried out in a hoarse whisper. "Let's just keep moving."

"If I honestly wanted to live, yes!" Dylan uttered back, glaring at him.

"He's _our_ age!"

"So you'd rather _us_ die? Give me your gun."

"You should have gotten yours!"

There was no retort from Dylan, but instead a harsh yelp from the German boy. He jumped up and tried to correct his gun so it was in position to shoot.

Alek paled as he realized he spoke too loud. He thought he heard Dylan curse at him, but he was too busy praying to himself to notice exactly what was said. But he did know that Dylan had taken hold of the gun.

"Nicht schießen!" The boy cried out. He appeared to be shaking just like Alek was.

They were too young—_far_ too young for this. Did the adults not see this?

Dylan risked taking his eyes off the boy to look at Alek for a translation. "Don't shoot. He said don't shoot." Alek said with the words spilling out nervously, still staring at the German. "He doesn't want to shoot us, Dylan."

"Did _he_ say that? Because judging from the gun he's pointing at us, I don't think that translates into 'I don't want to shoot you.'" Dylan hissed. He raised the gun, as if to prove his point to Alek. Alek wasn't sure though. At that point in time, Dylan could have been ready to shoot. Perspective is always skewed when it's behind the barrel of a gun.

The opposing boy reacted to what he saw as a threat and closed one eye as to aim his shot. His finger began to pull the trigger.

The world seemed to slow and Alek instinctively closed his eyes.

There was a bang.

There was a scream.

There was silence.

And sobbing as the skies finally mourned.

Opening his eyes, Alek saw what he thought was going to be him instead. The German was in a crumpled heap on the ground and Dylan stood as still as a statue with his arms still outstretched and the gun quivering in his hands. The only movement was his shaking body. The only sound was the sobs that seemed to escape from him and the pounding of the cloud's tears.

"Dylan?" Alek said cautiously. His hair was plastered to his forehead.

The gun fell.

"He was _our_ age." Dylan said between sobs. "And I shot him!" His voice cracked and seemed to jump an octave higher than what it should've been. "I _killed_ him." He repeated to himself. He was staring at his hands before him as if it was blood that soaked his hands instead of the rainwater, but his eyes were unfocused and viewing something Alek would never see.

"Dylan." His name was useless though.

"I don't want to be here anymore, Alek! I—I want to go back. I want to go back to the _Leviathan_." The boy collapsed on the ground as if it was he who was shot instead. He was soaked and muddy and beyond all of that, helpless. He was defeated and he stared still into the nothingness.

Alek kneeled beside him and gingerly put a hand on his friend's shoulder and said gently, "Dylan. You didn't want to shoot either, did you?"

Rain ran down his face creating tears, if tears were not already there and he seemed to be blinking back anymore from falling. He shook his head and lifted his chin up towards the sky. "I just wanted to live."

**.**

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**.**

**The gas was Poison Gas. The Germans were the first to use Poison Gas in WWI at Ypres in April of 1915. Before that it was Tear Gas and Sneezing Gas, which only distracted instead of killed. The French had thought it was the latter-two gases and fled to the trenches. This started a whole new type of warfare.**


	13. Dare You To Move

Alek looked around him in saddened fascination. Here he was again. Austria. His home. But it all felt so different now. He had left as a spoiled child with not even a title to his name, and now he was mature and grown-up—a man—and all of this could be his in an instant. It made Austria seem nothing like the home he had left.

And he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for—

"Alek, you better be a barking good Emperor and end this sodding war."

Her.

Alek looked at the midshipman with respect. She was the only one that he would never par up to, no matter the occasion. It didn't matter if he was a prince, Archduke, or even an Emperor; he would always be a mile behind her and her wit and daring and determination. He would never admit that though since she was a girl and he would look like an utter fool.

"Don't worry. I will." He left out the part that he wasn't Emperor and he wasn't even sure if he could be. She knew well enough. That was another thing, she was always so positive even in the darkest of times.

They stood there silently, usual banter set aside. She unconsciously fiddled with a button on her jacket as Alek toyed with the cuff to his.

"Good. Because don't think that I won't march in there and knock your bum off that throne of yours." She gave a cheeky half-hearted smile as she glanced at him.

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "No doubt about it. I'll have no one to keep me from being a dummkopf now." He trailed off realizing that. The words struck hard.

She got a glint in her eyes though as she barely nodded her head in his direction where his entourage stood waiting. "You've got Volger."

He looked behind him where the four men stood watching and waiting. The world was watching and waiting.

Alek attempted to smile as he turned around. "I guess. But I'd—" He stopped.

"What?"

What he should have said was "But I'd rather have you," instead, he stumbled clumsily over, "Oh, um… nothing."

Alek bit his lip. When had things become so awkward between the two of them? Of course it had become slightly "pear-shaped" when he discovered her secret, but he tried to pay no attention to the fact that she was a girl just as she had requested. He hadn't anticipated _feelings_ to come along though.

The silence fell in again and Alek felt the need to force words into the void. "So where do you think you'll go now?"

Deryn looked thoughtful up into the sky. "Dunno. Wherever life takes me, I guess. If I'm found out then I'll be grounded in Glasgow otherwise you'll find me wherever the next adventure is." She smiled wistfully. A life of risk and adrenaline was awaiting her. A life of papers and boredom was awaiting him. He envied her.

"Oh."

That awful silence fell over them again as they looked around them, unsure of what to say next.

"Aye. If you get tired of politics, maybe you could come join me."

"I'll keep that in mind." Alek matched her smile. He planned on doing that. He could already tell that this wasn't his place. But he had his duties first to attend to.

Before the silence could settle again and mess with his nerves, Alek decided to finish what he was going to say before. It had to be said and aired out between them. "Deryn? I have someth—"

"Mr. Sharp, I'm terribly sorry to break this up but the ship really must be leaving now."

Both of them turned to look at Dr. Barlow with Tazza in hand. Alek restrained himself from groaning aloud at the interruption. She had a terrible knack of coming into the picture at the most unbecoming times.

Deryn turned back to face him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Alek. I have to go. Can't keep them waiting, can I?" Alek wanted to say that she could, but didn't. She paused as she glanced behind his shoulder again. "Well, you should go do what's expected of you." She smiled—it was forced—and settled a hand on his shoulder. "Show those Clankers who's in charge. Go make your move." She brought her other arm up as if to hug him, hesitated, and stepped back from him with a sad smile.

With that, she turned and walked towards the boffin who shoved Tazza's leash into her hand. Dr. Barlow nodded in his direction and the two started towards the _Leviathan_.

He hadn't said his goodbyes.

"Come along, Aleksander. We can't be wasting the day away." Volger demanded right behind him.

But it was all right for Alek to waste his life away because that's what was expected of him. Deryn's words rang back at him.

Do what's expected of you…

Was that all that was expected of him? To stop the war? If Alek didn't have this supposed power to do this, if the scroll didn't exist, would Volger have gone to the extent he had to save him or would he have let him die in the hands of Germans?

He looked up at Volger who was pushing him along and then turned his head around slowly as he watched the two women walk back to his home. The blonde kept looking over her shoulder with sad eyes.

It wouldn't have mattered to her if the scroll existed. And he hadn't even said good-bye to her.

He trudged along still as he turned back around to see his crew of haggard men waiting by their mechanical transportation.

He had to go and stop this war. He had to claim his rightful title. This is how it was. How it always was going to be. He had always wanted this. Just not anymore.

"We have to move along now, Young Master!" Klopp cried out.

Go make your move…

Alek stopped short. Volger looked down his nose at him as he tried to push him along but he wouldn't budge.

What if he could never find her after this? What if he'd never see her again? He had to act now, or he'd regret this moment for the rest of his life.

Pivoting on his heel, Alek broke away from the hand clutching his shoulder and ran for it, stumbling over himself and almost toppling headfirst multiple times. But that's what happens when you run for your life.

His men cried out his name behind him, the angriest being Volger. Alek paid no mind though as he ran. He would come back to them in a matter of minutes. He just had to try to do what he wanted to, just this once, because once he joined his men again, he didn't know when he'd be able to leave and live his own life and see _her_.

Faster.

He wasn't going to catch them. He could see the ship getting ready to lift into the air.

Faster.

They had to be boarding soon, if they weren't already tucked away inside the ship.

Faster.

The airfield didn't seem this long moments ago. Did it grow just to stop him from—

There!

Dr. Barlow and Deryn were still walking towards the ship. He could faintly hear the commands of an officer telling them to hurry it up.

"Wait!" Alek called out with all of the breath he could muster. "Wait!"

The two women stopped and turned around. Tazza yelped and jumped around ecstatically. Dr. Barlow had a thin knowing smirk, as per usual, to match her wise gaze that settled on Alek. But he didn't have time to stop and think about that.

He focused ahead on the surprised blonde. "Alek? What do you think you—"

It wasn't graceful. It was far from it actually. Alek had finally lost his balance and fell into Deryn and landed on top of her. His thoughts kept on tumbling and were too jumbled to decipher any into actual words. And so he kissed her. She stopped struggling and froze, which worried him, but then began to kiss him back.

It was clumsy. It was awkward. But it was great.

The only thing that broke them apart of the cool distinct coughs of Dr. Barlow as she stood a foot or so away.

Alek looked at the surprised middy, her eyes glazed over and a small smile at what just happened before she fell back into her usual ways.

"Blisters! Alek! I thought you left! You have to go stop this _war_ not _me_. Why'd you do that anyway?" Her cheeks were rosy with a blush as she tried to hold a steady glare at him but kept on breaking it.

Alek himself was blushing and said nothing. He didn't know what to say because it seemed rather obvious to him as to why he did all of that.

He had made his move. And he regretted nothing.


	14. Daughter

Dr. Nora Barlow strutted down the hall, her grip on the leash just tight enough to hold control over Tazza as she searched for a missing Mr. Sharp so he could give the thycaline the much-needed walk. Past her cool demeaner, she was outraged. She had put in good words to keep that midshipman aboard the _Leviathan_ expecting the best out of him. She had kept his _secrets _for him! And _this_ is how he repaid her? By not attending to his duties? She should be meeting with Mr. Tesla right now over crucial matters and—

Shouting down the hall broke her rampant anger. Her interest piqued but she had set out for other tasks than to eavesdrop on the silly men that the captain called his crew.

Turning the corner, Dr. Barlow stopped as she saw the one person who could lead her to the middy.

"Aleksandar, have you seen Mr. Sharp?"

The boy jerked to a halt with such pronounced disgust and hatred in his expression that it even broke Dr. Barlow's façade as her eyes widened in surprise. "No, can't say I know a _Mr._ Sharp." He spat before continuing on in such a rage that she couldn't help but think that The Wildcount had rubbed off such a negative characteristic on the boy. And then she realized what he said.

'_Mr._ Sharp.'

"Oh dear." She breathed. "Seems as though he has found out, Tazza. Well, it's about time." Tazza stopped bouncing around and looked up at her with sad knowing eyes. "Yes, yes. I know." She muttered before she set off down the hall with a new determination.

It wasn't until she neared the midshipman's quarters that she paused and pulled Tazza close to her. The door was ajar and she could hear the girl's sobs. It broke her heart, really, as she peeked in. The poor girl held a pillow to her chest as she was balled up on her bed. She was such a strong girl, too.

Tazza slipped his snout between the door and the doorframe, effectively opening the door even more. Dr. Barlow stared down at the thycaline with disapproval before looking at the disheartened girl again, who only lifted her head to look at them and settled back into the pillow.

Sighing, Dr. Barlow slipped into the room and shut the door softly but firmly behind her and made a point to lock it. No one was going to interrupt this. She unhooked Tazza and he immediately made his way over to the bunk and jumped up to curl up with Miss Sharp.

"Go away. That sod is already going to rat me out. No reason for you to do so as well." In truth, the words were rather muffled, but Nora thought she could hear them quite well.

"And why would I ever do that?"

The poor thing looked up with puffy red eyes and a tear-streaked face. "I'm a barking _girl_! That's why!" Her body heaved with deep breaths as she screamed the incriminating words and then she collapsed back onto the bed sobbing.

Dr. Barlow was stunned to say the least. For as long as she had known Miss Sharp, she had never seen her cry and the girl was as tough as nails. That was why she favored her and knew she could get a job done. That was why she put word in to the Captain to keep her aboard—though she hadn't been aware of her true secret at that point in time.

She had an inkling of an idea that Miss Sharpe fancied Alek so the only question now was: What had that boy said to her? What did he do to break her like this?

Cautiously she made her way over and sat with great poise on the bed as to not disturb Miss Sharp. Nora wasn't sure if she could handle all of the surprises these two teens were throwing at her as Miss Sharp—oh, she really had to find out the girl's name but right then was hardly the ideal time to do so—wrapped her skinny arms around the boffin's waist and left the pillow behind.

Instinctively, Dr. Barlow began to brush the cropped hair out of her face and made a soft "Sh"-ing noise to calm her down. Eventually, her breathing evened out and the sobs faded away.

"The only thing I have to say is that you better keep your voice down, Miss Sharp, or the Captain will surely find out." Not to mention, that it was incredibly indecent to have such a foul mouth with a woman present and even more so being a young woman herself. But Dr. Barlow didn't say that last part. Instead, she smiled gently as realization dawned on the girl who looked incredulously up at her; her eyes were glassy with tears.

"Why?"

Dr. Barlow sat there, thinking why.

Was it because this girl was good at her job? Or because she tried to defy the status quo?

Whenever the lady-boffin looked at her, she could swear she saw a part of herself in Miss Sharp: determination, youth, and a bit of rebellion. If she sent this girl packing all because she was a girl, then what was she saying to herself? That she didn't belong in this world of men?

Women like them needed support for all too often they were ostracized and hated. Just because they tried to step out of the mold, society seemed to think they had no feelings, as if they weren't human.

And then she remembered the snippets of overheard conversations between Alek and "Dylan". Miss Sharp's father was dead and he was the one who encouraged flying—much like Nora's grandfather had done with science—and the girl's mother was completely against it. She sighed, thinking about how this girl probably never had any encouragements after her father died—no one to cry on to comfort her dreams.

Even if Miss Sharp continued to ignore her after this day and complain harshly about her, Dr. Barlow knew at that moment that she would always be there for the girl to support her when no one else did-like a Mother.

And so she answered with a slim knowing smile. "Because," she said still brushing the girls hair back. "Because, you're like a daughter to me."

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees Dr. Barlow as the mother figure to Alek and Deryn?**


	15. iShuffle

**1. Company of Fools—Great Big Sea**

"Whiskey?" Dylan offered, putting the drink in his face. Alek only glared in response and crossed his arms. "Oh, why's you so grumpy? His Highness don't like to have'a bit a' fun?"

"I like having fun." Alek said. "I just don't particularly find being with a bunch of drunks in a bar 'fun'."

"Aye. Can't knock 'em, 'til yew join 'em" Dylan slurred slightly.

Alek looked at him and sighed already knowing the answer to what he was going to ask. "You're drunk, aren't you?"

"Naw. Justa wee bit tipsy." He looked around before shoving a drink in front of Alek. "Whiskey?"

**2. Someday—Nickelback**

Alek scowled as he walked into the mess hall and saw Dy—Deryn there. He thought he had waited long enough to miss seeing that liar. No matter, he kept his head held high and walked by her table to get to his.

"Sodding bumrag." She cursed at him.

"Shrew." He threw back.

He glanced at her and saw the hurt she tried to hide in her eyes. How did they get like this? More importantly, how could they someday get past it?

**3. Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit—Neil Patrick Harris**

Deryn turned in the mirror and grinned slyly. She straightened her tie and brushed the hair back from her face and pulled on her lapels of her uniform. She could see why Lilit had takin' a liking to Dylan Sharp. She looked quite good in a suit.

**4. Somewhere Only We Know—Glee Cast Version**

"Where are you taking me? I don't like surprises and you damn well know that!" Deryn said as Alek led her to her surprise. His hands covered her eyes.

"One second, Deryn."

The hands disappeared and it took a moment for Deryn to orient herself. Her eyes widened at what she saw before her. It seemed bigger than all those years ago. "Oh… Alek." She turned around and hugged him.

He laughed and pried her off before taking her hand. "Come on." He guided her towards the _Leviathan_.

**5. Past the Point of No Return—Phantom of the Opera**

"We really shouldn't—"

"Shut up, Alek."

"But what if we're caught?"

"Then they'll get a show."

"_Deryn_!"

"_What_!"

"Your secret wi—"

A kiss. Then silence.

**6. Eet—Regina Spektor**

Another mistake.

Tear. Crumple. Toss.

Deryn finally gave up and rested her forehead on her sketchpad and dropped her pencil on the ground; placed amongst dozens of littered crumpled up papers. She gave up. There was no point. It had only been a month, hadn't it? A month since she had last seen him, and she had already forgotten what he looked like.

She forgot herself in the process as well.

**7. The Peverell Story—The Butterbeer Experience**

Deryn was impressed. Before today, she hadn't believed in Death being an actual being that gave out _gifts_. But then again, how else would she explain Volger being given an unbeatable saber and Alek a stone to bring back the dead? How would she be able to explain how she was currently hiding beneath an invisibility cloak in order to steal Volger's unbeatable saber so she could finally beat him at fencing for once? Or how she was going to steal Alek's stone so he didn't do something completely daft?

Yeah, there was no other way to explain without seeming to have a cracked attic. And her attic was completely intact, thank you very much.

**8. Hospital Beds—Florence and the Machine**

Deryn hated the infirmary and hated being injured. There was nothing to do and she felt like a waste of space. Plus, she was the only one in there at the moment. She closed her eyes to get the "necessary rest" and then heard the doors bang open, bringing a new patient in and placing him in the bed next to her.

She cracked her eyes open to see who it was. Alek.

"What—"

"Accident in the engines. Got hit with some shrapnel, but it's not that bad. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other, won't we?" He smiled.

She grinned. She had a feeling that she was going to like her stay there.

**9. Open Your Eyes—Snow Patrol**

The world was grand once you just opened your eyes up to it and saw past the pretenses people created. Deryn had known this her whole life. She was born with her eyes open.

She dashed down the pristine halls and threw open the heavy doors.

They all stopped and stared. He stared—shocked. He thought she didn't belong there. She _knew_ he didn't belong here. She only had to make him see that as well.

She smiled. She ran. She grabbed. She kissed.

"Open your eyes, Alek."

**10. Not Alone—Starkid Productions**

He was doomed. Pretty soon, Alek would be on trail for his partake in the war—an excuse for condemning another Clanker, an important Clanker. He had long given up and had shut himself away in his room, not taking the news well.

There was a knock at the door that broke him from his thoughts. "Come in." He moaned. He might as well have human contact before he was surely sentenced to death. He glanced to see Deryn, Dr. Barlow, his men, and even Newkirk. "What is this?"

Deryn grinned, even though she was to go on trail as well for helping them in Istanbul. (Of course, she _was_ a girl so couldn't be punished.) "I've gotten to know you pretty well, Your Princeliness and I know you think you're alone." She stuck her hand out for him. "And we just wanted to let you know we'll always be behind you." He hesitantly took her hand. "You're not alone, Alek. You never have been. Never will be."

**.**

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**I promised myself I wouldn't do one of these. But you can see how that worked out. I literally had 5 documents up, each with a start of a chapter including the prequel of sorts to Daughter. And nothing. So, I figured this would be a good source of inspiration and get the creative juices flowing while actually following the rules for this game. Good news, it worked! Bad news, you all now know how much of a nerd I can be because of some of these songs. Real chapters will be out shortly.**


	16. Thunderstorms

Deryn gasped, as she was pulled from her pleasant dreams—too girlish for her to think about during the day—about a certain prince to be placed in a nightmare. She heard nothing but what seemed like a continuous timpani that shook the walls and even her bones. Opening her eyes, she was blinded by a brilliant flash.

She didn't need her eyes to know what was going on though.

"No. No, no, no, _no!"_ She murmured the mantra to herself as she quickly shut her eyes, desperately hoping that she would drift off into her dreams of sunshine and blue skies.

Another crash of thunder that sounded like a bullet being fired—but so much more deadly—and she knew it was pointless.

Tears swelled to the corner of her eyes as the anxiety of it all gripped her heart. She broke out into a cold sweat from the spontaneous fear that branched out through her.

It wasn't that she was afraid of storms. In fact, as a child, Deryn had loved them. She could remember all of the stormy nights and days growing up and how she would crawl up onto her da's lap and stare out the window. She would laugh and point at the flashes that illuminated their small room. When she was on the ground, lightning was magnificent.

Another bolt—another near death flash.

She wasn't on the ground though and she wasn't in her father's lap. Right now, each flash seemed to cast shadows in the clouds of death that stared intently upon her. Each crash of thunder stopped her heart for a moment, just long enough to startle her. She was unnerved.

She wasn't afraid of storms, oh no, as much as she told herself this, it did no help for she was afraid of what played out once the storm finally hit its target. Flames and death. Flames and death. A fate much like her da's.

She closed her eyes and took a deep intake of air to steady her nerves. Everything would be all right. The Captain knew what he was doing. They would be fi—

The room tilted and Deryn was flung from her bed and landed in a tangled heap of blanket and limbs on the floor. She would surely have bruises in the morning but that was the least of her concern right now. "Barking Spiders! What was that?" She cursed.

Instinctively rubbing her banged-up head, she jumped out of her skin as she heard a crash like no other. It tore silence to shreds and rang in her ears. She looked up in alarm and through the only window in her quarters; Deryn saw her life pass before her.

Lightning so bright and vivid left a streak that blazed in her eyes even after it had disappeared. It danced so close to the _Leviathan_ and its tendrils reached out towards the beastie, as if to offer it the dance of Death.

Deryn squeaked and scrambled up onto her bed. Tears and snot ran down her face now, whether she liked it or not. Grabbing her blanket, she wrapped it around her and brought it to her chin like she would as a child to keep the ghosts away from her. If only that worked for storms as well.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Deryn jumped, her mind perceiving it as thunder but her head snapped towards the direction of the door as she heard another three knocks against the fabricated door that she locked every night. (She was still a girl, and unwanted visitors could be quite disastrous.) She ignored it though. She wasn't going to move from her glorified safety on her bed.

"No one's here." Her voice trembled and she wasn't sure if they heard. She didn't care if they heard, unless it was the bossun or Mr. Newkirk telling her to report for some daft duty. But they would have sent messenger lizards, right? Unless, of course, their attics got all scrambled from being spooked silly because of this barking storm.

Another round of knocking reached her except this time each knock seemed more urgent.

Blisters. The lizards were spooked.

She sat for a moment more, trying to absorb all the comfort and confidence that was underneath the blanker and then swung her legs over the edge of the bed. After wiping her face to get rid of the evidence of being a ninny, she got up and draped the blanket around her shoulders and timidly shuffled to the door. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the lock and twisted the doorknob. The door opened to reveal Alek.

In a flash of lightning she noticed his hair was tousled and unkempt, his bedclothes were wrinkled and he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep but he stood there in mid-knock with determination in eyes that soon faded into embarrassment. He quickly lowered his arm and hid it behind his back.

"Aye?" Deryn whispered staring at him, curious as to why he stood there in the dead of night—storm or no storm.

"Um, well. I just—I just heard the storm. And it sounded bad. And—I thought that you'd be up. I know it woke me up. And I came to check if you were okay because you have that fear of—well, it looks like you're perfectly fi—Deryn?" Alek stopped his nervous jilted speech and looked up from the floor to see what Deryn figured must have been a wreck. She tried to keep her pride and hide the tears and the puffy eyes, but Alek must have seen.

She looked anywhere but at him.

"Deryn?" He whispered in concern. He began to reach out to her but immediately stopped.

She sniffled and wiped the tears from her face roughly. She stared at the floor and the blanket fell from her shoulders as she held out her arms—an invitation for a vulnerable hug. It seemed like forever, but really it was only enough time for a clap of thunder and the following lightning, barely seconds apart, before she felt arms close in around her and pull her close. One hand stroked her short hair in an attempt to calm her and she just continued to sniffle as she just about collapsed into him.

Every time she closed her eyes images of flames and her father descended upon her, but the more she was in the embrace, the more the images faded away into nothing.

Deryn didn't know how or when, but at some point they had ended up on the ground, leaning against the closed door and the blanket across them. His arm was draped over her shoulder, pulling her close to him. And she was tucked away and protected with her arms wrapped around him.

Neither said a word as they sat and listened to the rain and thunder. They watched the lightning dance into the wee hours of the morning without a squick of fear.

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**Dug this up from my archives and was never planning on posting it. Except I'm due for an update here and I have no time to write. I'm too busy on deviantart with trying to do a Harry Potter drawing-a-day until the movie comes out, then the rest of the day is spent cleaning and preparing my room for the mural I'm painting in there.**

**Anyway, yinz will be getting stuff that is old and I deemed as not good but I hope you enjoy anyway. At least… until after next week that is. (: Then I'll get on the requests and stuff.**


	17. Why

Alek attempted to live as normally as he could on the _Leviathan_. He would struggle to help Newkirk with his duties. He would try to hold a decent conversation with Dr. Barlow. He would try to beat Volger at fencing. He would put effort into spending time with Bovril. But at the end of the day, he would always return to his room and lock the door. And all of that time he spent during the day trying to occupy his thoughts through the company of others went out the window as he would fall on his bed and stare at nothing; his mind roaring with images and words.

The most prominent one being: _Why?_

Today was no different.

He slammed his door in frustration and locked it. He hoped that it would keep out anyone who thought they'd "check on him" to see if he was "okay". For an added precaution, he pressed his back against the fabricated-wood door.

His breathing was shallow as he tried to listen for the footsteps that had originally been following him. It was silly really, why he had stormed out of the mess hall. All someone had asked him was "Why?". He wasn't even sure what they were referring too. But he had had enough of that question. He heard it with every breath he took. His dreams vanished with it. The birds seemed to chirp it. The wind seemed to hark it. The _Leviathan_ itself seemed to hum it.

Why. Why. _Why?_

"Because of you," his guilt answered every time. "Because of you, Alek."

And the worst part was, was that it was true.

He closed his eyes and tried to keep the tears at bay—and his frustration while he was at it. But then he heard the word uttered from Bovril.

"Why?"

And that was when a weeks worth of guilt and hatred and sorrow boiled over. His eyes flickered open and glared at the beastie who sleepily raised its head off its paws to look at him.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Alek cried out. _Lies_. "I just _don't know_." Alek slammed his fist against the desktop causing Bovril's dish of fruit to topple to the floor. The plate splintered into hundreds of shards. The damage lit another spark in him and he lost himself as he knocked the chair over—"I"—, threw his saber across the room (nearly hitting Bovril in the process)—"don't"—, pulled his flight suit down and threw that as well—"know"—. He stormed over to the window and pulled the blind on it—"_Why_!"

The skies were blue—too blue. Too familiar. He was tired of seeing the blue skies for the past week. It didn't seem _right_.

Then finally he turned to it. A portrait of him. A signature from her. One of their last friendly transactions. Maybe even their last one. The portrait was beautiful. It looked exactly like him except for the fact that she was kind enough to shrink his ears down to a somewhat normal size. He was smiling in it and the wind was in his hair. It was truly beautiful and the most thoughtful thing given to him.

It made him sick.

And so he snatched it from the wall it was tacked to and crumpled it up. The tears came freely now and even in his rage he knew they were not tears of anger. Soon enough, the portrait was thrown across the room as well and Alek crumpled to the floor.

Finally the words escaped from him. "Why?" He muttered. And then it occurred to him that he didn't know what he was asking about.

Why had he said all those hurtful words? Why had he called her a shrew and that he could never look at her again. Why had he told her he did not care what would happen to her?

Because he cared. He cared a lot.

Or was it why did Deryn accept the mission? Why did she accept it when she knew she'd be distracted? Why weren't her skills and luck up to par?

Most of all:

Why did she have to go?

But then, he would have gone full circle. Because he caused her death. He had said those horrible things to her and many more. He had ignored her and treated her below even that of a common person. He laughed at her heart and sincerity.

She hadn't been the same since their friendship "ended". She hadn't been able to focus—too worried about Alek and over her secret. And yet she accepted her mission and her distractions involving Alek and her wounded heart had caused her to not focus on what she was doing.

Alek never listened to specifics. If he did, he forgot them. All that mattered was that Deryn never came back from the mission. Died. Dead. Gone. For a week now.

And he was to blame.

He stared at the crumpled paper and realized that he had ruined the one last thing she had left him. A last memory of their happier times. He crawled over to it and slowly but surely folded it out and tried to smooth it frantically.

"I'm sorry," Alek whispered as tears streaked down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

But the paper didn't fix itself and Deryn didn't come back.

They never would.

And it was all his fault.

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I'm sorry for not posting for 4 months and then coming with this depressing thing. If it wasn't for the last part of it, it wouldn't be posted. I've been busy since my last update: vacation, summer schoolwork, field hockey, school schoolwork, college applications. I don't even have time to sleep at night—3 hours most for most nights. And for the past couple weeks, I've been dealing with a loss of a gradeschool friend. And it's been rough.

But I had to write this. Because I've been trying to write a new oneshot for this series and I finally had time to sit aside to write. Mainly poems and such to release emotions of the loss. This slipped somehow in between all of the other stuff.

Sunday I'll be posting a more comedic chapter. I'm going to try for more updates on the weekends for now on. And more lightheartedness as well. Once again, sorry for this heavy chapter.


	18. Where Do You Uh Go?

"Um… Dylan?" Alek said, staring down at his shoes. He didn't want to look his newfound friend in the face. Not with what he was about to ask. Alek was hoping that he mumbled well enough that the middy hadn't even heard him and they could both be on their way. Though, Alek wasn't sure what his way would be. Or if he'd want to walk at all since it was becoming very uncomfortable to move.

"Hey Alek!"

Well that hope was dashed.

His face must have reflected his twisted innards—figuratively and literally—for when Alek took a daring glance at his friend, he looked worried. "What? Is something the matter?"

No. But he didn't have the guts to announce that.

"No. Um… I was just… uh… passing by. Just saying hi."

Alek mentally berated himself. _God's wounds! Who says that? Just saying hi? Dylan may not be the most oiled cog in the machine at times, but he definitely will notice something is off._

"Are you… okay?" The boy looked at him oddly. His face scrunched up in worry and curiosity. He oddly placed his hands on his hips as if it was a natural thing to do, then quickly pulled them down to his sides.

Alek didn't pay much attention to this when he felt a terrible pressure in his gut area and dug his broken dirty nails into the fleshy palms of his hand; anything to take his attention off of the uncomfortable feelings.

"I'm… I'm fine. You?" Lies.

His legs started to shake and he swore his voice skipped an octave. Maybe Dylan wouldn't notice though.

Dylan quirked his eyebrow though and stared intently at Alek before slowly saying, "I'm good."

They were silent for a terribly awkward moment that seemed to stretch on for forever. Alek now bit his lip. He had to say something. He couldn't go on with this terrible feeling anymore.

The middy hooked a finger around his collar and pulled on it slightly before clearing his throat and looking at Alek. Alek tried to divert his eyes.

"Okay… well… I don't know if this is like a royal custom or anything. But I'm not going to lie. You're creeping me out, Your Princeliness. Is there something you want?"

"No! Um… bye." Alek could hold it. He could wait it out. Who knows, it could maybe go away eventually. Alek turned around and began to walk away leaving a bewildered Dylan.

Who was he kidding? He was going to burst!

"WAIT!" He shouted turning back around. (He regretted doing that.) Dylan stopped and looked at him expectantly. "Well… ?" He stumbled over the words quickly and bit his tongue afterwards hoping to never repeat that statement, hoping that no matter what, that Dylan didn't understand a word he said.

The midshipman laughed. "Aye. Is that all? I'm surprised you lasted so long!"

Alek blushed and twisted his legs together. Never, even in his nightmares, did he ever think he'd have to go through a situation as terrible as this. This was worse than being stuck on the glacier! At least there, he knew where the bathroom was!

"Well, are you going to tell me or are you just going to laugh?"

"It's, it's in the beastie."

"What? _In_ the ungodly abomination? That is disgusting even for a Darwinist!" Alek felt his stomach churn at the thought.

Dylan frowned. "Aye, it's in the _Leviathan_. Now I'd get going, you look like you're about to wet yourself." He gave a cheeky grin as if trying not to laugh.

Truth was, Alek was pretty sure he was about to. But to go _in _the abomination was a totally different matter. But they wouldn't be landing in Constantinople for some time and he surely would not last. So he would have to face his fears. Oh he would probably have to vomit while he was in the beast as well. If he survived. With a rushed mumbled "Thank you"—for he wasn't thankful at all to find out the news. He hurried off and never regretted joining the Darwinists more than now.

Alek didn't know Dylan very long, but he already knew that there was a good chance the boy wasn't joking when he called out with a bark of laughter to "Not get digested by the beastie!"

Yes, he really regretted boarding the Darwinist vessel now.

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1:00AM. It's Sunday. A Comedic Chapter. Totally told you so that I would post. Though albeit awkward one. But it had to happen sometime!

Now to make like a recluse and read all of Jane Eyre for Monday.


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